FROM THIS DAY ONWARD, I WILL BLESS YOU

I never cease to be amazed at the goodness of God. That he would care enough to tell his children what he is doing even before he does it. He is a good God and my soul shall ever praise him. This year has been amazing for me and my Church, Jubilee Christian Church. Why do I say that? Because God moved us to another level. The level of ownership. As we made the shift from the Ngara location to the Forest Road location, I saw that this transition was happening in the Spirit for many in the congregation as well. We were asked to give towards the purchase and renovation of the building, and many of us pledged to give whatever one agreed with God to give. It was an awesome time for any true son and daughter of the house.



We should have expected it, but many did not. Soon thereafter our finances were attacked seriously. Most people I know were struggling to bring in their pledges, but kept believing God anyway. I know that many have given to the building of God’s house sacrificially this last few months. Many, myself included, have fallen behind in our giving, but we are still committed to completing what we started. We shall not stop now. Building God a house has always been accompanied by demonic attack. Nehemiah and Ezra can testify to this. However, even though often there were delays, the work was always seen to completion because God was with his people. It is the same with us today.



The book of Haggai is only two chapters long but such a blessing at this time. It contrasts a period when the Israelites did not heed the call to build God’s house, and when they did. Chapter 1 opens up with God rebuking the people who were living large while the house of God was in ruin. God had cursed the work of their hands. The labor they put in was not equivalent to the output.

“ 6You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it…

9You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house, which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it].

10Therefore the heavens above you [for your sake] withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its produce.

11And I have called for a drought upon the land and the hill country, upon the grain, the fresh wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all the [wearisome] toil of [men's] hands”.



When these people heard the word of the Lord, they turned their hearts to him in repentance and he, being the darling he is sent word that he was with them. So their hearts were stirred and they built God a house. Just like we at JCC have been busy doing and continue to do.

Chapter 2 begins to describe the changes that God was bringing to their lives even as they built the house of God. He promised them that as they built his house he would be with them and that his Spirit would be in their midst. And then he added something else to it:

6For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake and make tremble the [starry] heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land;

7And I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.

8The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts.

9The latter glory of this house [with its successor, to which Jesus came] shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.



God was saying that as they built his house, he was going to shake the earth and bring the wealth of the Nations to them. All the precious things and desired things in the earth shall come to the house of the Lord. To his people. The silver is his and so is the gold and as we are building him a house he is shaking the earth to ensure that the wealth of the wicked is brought to his children who are mindful of his honor and glory. There shall be peace and prosperity. We shall know what it means to have the shalom of God. Nothing missing and nothing broken! It is our portion as we build God a house. Blessed be the name of the Lord. The glory of this end time Church, shall be greater than that of the first church because God shall send his glory on us in a mighty way.

I hear these words distinctly in my spirit today:


15And now, I pray you, consider what will happen from this day onward. Since the time before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, how have you fared?

16Through all that time [the harvests have not fulfilled expectations, for] when one has gone expecting to find a heap [of sheaves] of twenty measures, there were but ten; when he has gone to the wine vat to draw out fifty bucketfuls from the press, there were only twenty.

Vs 16 has been true for me on so many levels and my heart has been crying out to the Lord to bless me indeed, so that the expectations I have are fulfilled and even exceeded. There is a change in the Atmosphere!!!



18Consider, I pray you, from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was [re]laid, consider this:

19Is the harvested grain any longer in the barn? As to the grapevine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree--they have not yet borne. FROM THIS DAY ON I WILL BLESS YOU.

Of note is the mention of the grapevine, fig tree, pomegranate and olive tree. The first 3 ripen in August and September, while olives ripen from September to November. The dedication of the House of Restoration on August 1st will mark a shift for those who have given and continue to give towards the house of God.

“CONSIDER, I PRAY YOU, FROM THIS DAY ONWARD (AUGUST 1ST, 2010)… FROM THIS DAY ON, I WILL BLESS YOU.”

The blessing that we have sought, many times in tears will become ours. Our crop will ripen and the wealth of the Nations will come pouring in. In this year of distinction there has been much shaking and sifting, but now the harvest has come. I thank God for the harvest. I receive my harvest and bless the Lord abundantly for his goodness and mercy!



(All these beautiful pics of the Cathedrals of the world can be found on the sacred destinations website http://www.sacred-destinations.com/categories/cathedrals)

Hilluwi - Praise God for the Harvest

I got the following information from this website: http://www.faithwriters.com/ It spoke to my heart because I have been in a place of great disappointment with God. It seemed as if all my waiting was in vain and that my prayers would go an answered. Today he said to praise him for the harvest. The harvest is in and he is Lord of it. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

HILLUWI

This eighth Hebrew word for praise is further derived from the root origin of Hallal, and to help us fully define its practical functionalities, we shall again freely quote from the contributions of Gerald Rowlands as taken from The Shepherd's Staff:

"... Hilluwi ... is a celebration of thanksgiving for the completion of harvest. Such praise is to be expressed in merriment. A post-harvest scene in any agricultural country would illustrate the essence of this word. The long months of anxious waiting are over. The harvest is safely gathered in. The hard work is finished; the tools are laid down, (and) the crops are safely stored away. It is, (therefore), the time to celebrate the successful completion of the harvest. It is a time of merriment and celebration. Singing and dancing are (usually) the order of the day..."

It is therefore, safe for us to opine that Hilluwi is Harvest Praise. Hilluwi is the kind of effusive and jubilant celebration that accompanies our times of thanksgivings, children dedication services, marriage anniversaries, or the special family thanksgiving services.

During such services, we come to celebrate God's faithfulness to us in the Tabernacle of the Righteous ones, and especially when He must have done something very praise-worthy for us; for example - a long-delayed fruit of the womb; a miraculous deliverance from fatal accidents, fire disasters, or armed-robbery attacks, et cetera. Hilluwi Praise ought to become a part and parcel of our lives as saints, and not just restricted to only agricultural harvests.

Sow in the Famine! Don't Stop Now!

I was speaking to a friend of mine a short while ago and he was telling me about how tough things have been for him. As we were talking I mentioned another friend who also was having a really tough time economically. After our conversation, I walked away thinking how crazy it was that when others were going through economic hardship God had preserved me. Then God spoke a word to my heart Daniel 11:32 "...they that know their God shall be strong and do exploits."

The Lord just kept ministering to my heart as I meditated on that word. This is our year of distinction and they that know their God shall continue to flourish in the midst of trouble. As I thought about that word, I began to wonder what that word "know" meant. Many of the people suffering at this time are Christians who I believe know and love God. So what is this knowing? The Lord said to me that knowing him meant not just being saved and reading the word of God, but entering into covenant with him and obeying the terms of the covenant which are laid out in his word.

He caused me to meditate on the last 7 months and how he accelerated my giving. I have never given the way I have done these last seven months. I gave sacrificially and didn't even realize it. I sowed so much seed that the enemy began to come against me. At one point I began to wonder what it was all about. I began to wonder if I had been deceived. The devil would say to me "look around you, what do you have to show for what you earn? You have given it all away." One time when the enemy was working me seriously I asked the Lord why he would not let me save and his answer was, "But you are saving. Where rust and moth do not destroy." That had not been the answer I was looking for, but I entered rest about saving and the peace of God was able to govern within me.

Today the Lord said to me that things will continue to be tough but in the famine I must keep on sowing. Just like Isaac did in Genesis 26. The distinction between the righteous and the wicked will be clear moving forward. Those who are his will be gathered to him and will flourish even in a barren land. The Lord revealed to me that the reason he had me sowing so much was because he knew that a famine was coming and just like in the days of Joseph, he had me store up abundantly during the time of plenty so that I will not feel the famine, and so that I will be a light for those who will suffer from it.

I am reminded of the hymn below known as Bringing In The Sheaves:

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain

Sowing can be painful, especially when you are broke or when God demands what we think is "just too much!" But one thing I know, that God is faithful to make sure that you reap a harvest if you faint not.

Psalm 126:5-6 says

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

The word says "continually goes forth" you must sow and keep on sowing. No giving up, no stopping, no reducing the amount you sow in fact, if you can, increase it. The word says you shall "doubtless" i.e there is no doubt about it, i.e FO SHO, there is a harvest for you and you shall come rejoicing carrying your harvest singing the Nigerian chorus:

Come and see oh...
Come and see
Come and see what the Lord has done x4

I believe my season for harvest has come. I shall begin to see my harvest and shall sing a new song to the Lord. Many times I have sown in tears, but I will now come back with laughter. Hey! My God has done it for me oh! Come and see!!!!

Lend and DO NOT borrow!

God is giving me such sound financial advice. I am loving it! Ecclesiastes 11:4,6

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap...
Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well."

vs 4 talks about people who wait for ideal situations before they can sow their seed. God said to stop waiting for ideal situations before I can invest. Start where you are and work your way up. Don't say "when i have a little more money, when I get married, when ..." There will never be an ideal situation so make a habit of investing now, regardless of your situation. Sow your seed and trust Jehovah for the harvest. He is Lord of the harvest.

v6 talks about keeping busy constantly sowing your seed. Don't just do one thing. Find ways to do more than one money making activity. You never know which one will excel and or even if both will do equally well. Avoid idleness at all costs. Stay busy from morning till evening and God will bless your efforts. Instill a culture of staying busy in your children. Idleness is an enemy!

The above verses tie in perfectly with the following passage:

Deuteronomy 28:12

"The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none"

As you get busy sowing seed, God will cause his rain to come and will give you a mighty harvest. Once you get your harvest you are to lend and not borrow. I have been considering where to save or invest what God has given me but I had a wrong perspective.

1) I was thinking about investing and in my mind (for some weird reason) I was thinking, "do I really want to tie down money in some investment project".

2) I was thinking of putting the bulk of my savings into a sacco or other banking system that would lend me money in the future should I need to borrow.

Then the Lord asked me, 'What do Banks do where lending is concerned?' So I said 'they give money to an individual or organization and then ask the person to pay it back with interest.' The Lord said to me "Be the Bank!" He said to me that I should consider investing as lending money to someone who will then pay it back to me with interest, not as tying down money.

Another thing he needed to point out and correct was my expectation that I would need to borrow at some point in the future. The Lord said to line up my thinking with his word. That I will only be a lender and not a borrower. He said to align my mind and wealth creation strategy to 2 Corinthians 9:8

"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and [c]earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need [d]be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].

Is that deep or what? My motto is lend and do not borrow. I will invest only and not borrow. The situation will never be ideal. Work with what you have, where you are and God who is the Lord of the harvest will safeguard your seed and ensure you receive the harvest you are believing him for.

What's happening with your seed?

Mark 4:1-34 tells the parable of the sower. God sows seed into our lives but we till the land to ensure that the seed grows. If we are lax in this area, then the seed will not produce like it is supposed to. God being a master investor, sows seed in us with the hope of gaining 30%, 60% or 100% return on his investment. The challenges in the soil will tell you where you lie at this moment in time. What is happening to the seed in you? There are four things that can happen ones the seed is planted.

Scenario 1

As soon as God sows a word or dream (seed) into your heart, the devil comes in by causing you to doubt and have unbelief. You begin to doubt that such greatness can come out of you. You begin to think that its just that, a dream. Nothing can come out of it. Sometimes you doubt that you heard God in the matter. Because of that, your seed falls to the way side. It is eaten by the birds. You never receive or welcome it and therefore it never sprouts.

Scenario 2

When God sows the seed into your life you receive the word with much joy. You believe that you are going somewhere to do something great for God. But when trouble and persecution arise because of that word sown into your life, you quickly fall away and abandon the dream. One thing you have to understand is that God told Eve “your seed shall crash his head.” The devil knows that the seed within you has the potential to totally destroy him. As such, the moment a seed is planted in you the fury of hell is released against you. Do not let trouble and persecution stop you from achieving what God has put in you.

Scenario 3

Once again the word is received with much joy and faith. But unfortunately you allow the issues of life, worries, deceitfulness of wealth and desire for other things to redirect your focus. Once a seed is planted in you, it needs to become your primary focus. Ask God to make you like a well aimed arrow so that you are always focused on the mark to hit it. Focus is crucial for the success of the dream. Do not

Scenario 4

The word is sown and received in gladness and faith. This person refuses to be deterred by trouble and persecution. They focus in on the dream and refuse to be distracted by anything at all. Issues come, wealth comes, but he stays focused, working his seed until he reaps a harvest, 30%, 60% and 100% return on the seed sown in him.

Be clear on this, that once the seed is sown in you all the fury of hell is unleashed towards you because it is through the seed that his head shall be crashed and he knows it. You carry a seed that has the potential to shake the very gates of hell and cause the devil to come unhinged. You are powerful beyond measure. The devil’s idea is to make sure that your seed does not germinate. His weapons are as follows:

1) Doubt and unbelief comes first. He poses the question “Did God really say…?”

2) When that fails he sends trouble and persecution to discourage you from even
trying.

3) When that does not work he tries to cause you to lose focus by drawing your attention to the worries of life, deceitfulness of wealth and other worldly desires.

The solution – Pray that God will make you like a well aimed arrow. Completely focused and on point to Gods glory. Nothing shall destruct you from your mark. You shall hit it every time by the Grace of God!!

Seed - Confirmation of His Word

How is this for confirmation of his word?!! God has been speaking to me about the seeds that he has sown in me and what I need to do to cause them to germinate and grow as I have blogged here below. Imagine my shock when I saw this word from Bill Yount posted on Elijah List on March 1, 2010. I have just seen it and feel the confirmation deep down where it matters. Hallelujah!! Enjoy!

Bill Yount: 2010: A Year of Germination of Seeds that Have Been Planted Over Many Years
by Bill Yount
Mar 1, 2010

John 12:24 Verily, Verily, I say unto you except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.


It's as though these Seeds were Shouting, "Our Season of Death is Over!"

In the Spirit I am hearing a sound I have never heard before. It's a sound from seeds that God had planted through us that have died inside the stony hearts of many people. There had been a long season when these seeds were not heard from at all. They were silenced by death. But in spite of death, these seeds now were beginning to groan as though death itself could not keep them any longer. The very life of Christ within these seeds was now beginning to overcome death and I saw a sprouting taking place that seemed to begin to shake the gates of Hell off its hinges! It's as though these seeds were shouting, "Our season of death is over! Hallelujah, we are now coming alive!" Seeds that had died with unfulfilled dreams of God inside of them were now beginning to come alive, worshiping their Creator, as they were beginning to sprout.

"Fields of dreams" were coming true! Seeds that were planted many years ago up to this present day were beginning to germinate. Seeds we had sown of the Word of God, acts of kindness and even smiles were bringing in a harvest as germination was taking place inside of many for whom we had forgotten and given up hope.

Pregnant with God's Dream!

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."

Both of our daughters are expecting our first two grandchildren a month apart this year. We have been saturated with ultrasounds. Ultrasounds are amazing to look at. You begin by seeing something so small at first, and then the little members of the body begin to grow. We can't figure out how that happens, but it's the seed that makes it all happen! I believe this year will be a year of record-breaking germination taking place in the wombs of many women...even a year of surprise babies!

To germinate means "to begin to or cause to grow, or sprout." When a seed falls into the ground and dies it looks different as it begins to sprout and surface. Many ministries, jobs and dreams that have seemingly been terminated will begin to germinate and spring forth suddenly, appearing different with new dimensions this coming year. The enemy is not cutting anything away from you, but God is pruning us all to look to Him for everything.

Don't focus on your dead dream, dead job or dead ministry; listen to that seed that is now groaning to come forth in newness of life. Some jobs that have been terminated in one place will germinate in another place. Your gift will make room for you. Your gift has outgrown the room you were in! You will now need a larger room for your gift. The place where you get pregnant with God's dream is not always the same place where you give birth to it.

Seeds Have Died Forever (so you thought)!

Many seeds that have been planted inside of us by the Holy Spirit and have seemingly died forever (so you thought) are now beginning to make a noise and groan. Even things that we "thought" God had told us were over...aren't.

Twenty-five years ago I had co-written a song with a brother, which was recorded by several people, and was a blessing to many. After several years the song seemed to have finished its course of being heard. Once in a while I would type in the name of the song to see if its season was really over. I became convinced that the song had a certain season and that was it. Just two months ago, I typed in the name of the song on the iTunes store and up came the song "It's All Taken Care of, Thanks to You" just recorded by Claudelle Clarke, the queen of Reggae Gospel music from Jamaica who has been singing for forty years now. I contacted her, and since the publishing company I had signed with closed down fifteen years ago, she was unable to find the authors of the song. Sometimes when our name is overlooked or forgotten, God often uses a seed we planted to cause others to reap blessings where they did not sow and to take it further than we ever could.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul says, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not become weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

I am learning it's when I feel like fainting—is when I am actually doing well from God's point of view, and that a seed that I have sown is beginning to groan and sprout somewhere in some place, or in somebody, or in some nation!

Bill Yount
Blowing the Shofar Ministries
Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com

Lessons from a seed - Part III

Genesis 8:22
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Each seed within you has a climate in which it will germinate and grow. The climate may be warm, very cold or very hot. The situations of our lives are the climate we need for the germination and growth of a particular seed that God is bringing to life in us. That is why life is in seasons. Some seeds in the natural may require freezing temperatures to break dormancy while others will require forest fires (very hot temperatures) to do the same. Ever wondered why sometimes things get very hot in your life? You find yourself between a rock and a hard place and nothing seems to be working? There is a seed within you that requires those conditions in order to germinate and grow.

Sometimes everyone in your family deserts you. Family and friends give you the cold shoulder and one look at their cold eyes plunges your life into freezing temperatures. That is the temperature conducive to germinate and grow the seed within you. Sometimes all is right with the world. Life is sunny and easy. That too is the temperature required for God to germinate and grow a particular seed within you. Every season of your life is doing a work in you that will bring multiplication and fruitfulness even when you can’t see how it will happen. The seasons of your life will include cold and hot, summer time when life is bright and sunny, and winter time when things look frigid and frozen, daytime and night seasons as well. All this is to ensure that you will always have seedtime and harvest.

Christ is the light of the world. His light is a factor in ensuring that the seed that is within you germinates and grows.

Psalm 36:9
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.
God’s light is a fountain of life.

Psalm 43:3
“O send out Your light and Your truth…” You must ask him to send light.

Isaiah 60:19
The sun shall no more be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you, but the Lord shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory and your beauty.

The dark places that you have had to pass through in life have also been necessary to bring forth a certain seed in you and though the enemy intended them for your harm, God intended it for your good.

Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Mark 4:8
And other seed [of the same kind] fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.

Mark 4:20
And those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit--some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some [even] a hundred times as much.

The quality of the soil in which your seed is planted is based on the word of God. How you receive that word, accept it, and welcome it so that it can produce for you the fruit you need. You must therefore partake of the word on a daily basis and not just hear it but do the word as well in order to ensure a great harvest. What is the quality of your soil? Is it good soil?

Action Points:
1) Oxygen – Prophesy to the wind that it may come from the four corners of the earth to blow on your seed that it may live.

2) Water – Ask the Lord for rain in its season.

3) Temperature – Ask the Lord to allow the climate that will ensure the germination and sustained growth of your seed.

4) Light or darkness – Ask the Lord Jesus, the light of the world, to shine on you and ask that where necessary, darkness will come only to cause germination, growth and maturity in your life.

5) Soil – Cultivate good ground by reading, welcoming, accepting, receiving and assimilating the word of God into every area of your life.

Lessons from a seed - Part II

As mentioned in Part I, dormancy is caused by either internal factors or external factors. The major internal factor is the absence of an embryo. Such a seed, called an empty seed, will never germinate. External factors include the soil, oxygen and water levels, temperature, light or darkness etc… Each one of us was created by God with seeds within us. None of us was born empty. In that case, I want to put it to you that you are not an empty seed. As such, if your life is empty and the seeds within you are not germinating and growing, there are some external factors that need to be changed to break dormancy and bring germination and growth of the seeds that are within you.

Every dream and calling that God has put in your heart is a seed. And just like various seeds require different conditions to germinate and grow, the seasons of your life are orchestrated to ensure that the physical factors are just right to grow whatever seed the Lord wants to germinate at that point. What does that really mean?
The Holy Spirit who is the breath of God must breathe on that seed to provide the necessary ‘oxygen’ for the seed. In order for man and all that is in him to live, God must breathe on and into him the spirit of life. The breath of God, who is the Spirit of God stirs up life within the seed.

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.

Job 33:4
[It is] the Spirit of God that made me [which has stirred me up], and the breath of the Almighty that gives me life [which inspires me].

Ezekiel 37:5
“… Behold, I will cause breath and spirit to enter you, and you shall live;

Ezekiel 37:9
Then said He to me, Prophesy to the breath and spirit, son of man, and say to the breath and spirit, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath and spirit, and breathe upon these slain that they may live.

Then moisture must also be provided by God who sends rain in due season.

Leviticus 26:4
I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase and the trees of the field yield their fruit.

Deuteronomy 11:14
I will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

Deuteronomy 28:12
The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

Isaiah 30:23
Then will He give you rain for the seed with which you sow the soil, and bread grain from the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.

Zechariah 10:1
ASK OF the Lord rain in the time of the latter or spring rain. It is the Lord Who makes lightnings which usher in the rain and give men showers, and grass to everyone in the field.

James 5:18
And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. [I Kings 18:42-45.]

Lessons from a seed - Part I

A seed contains an embryo that germinates and the store of food around the embryo which it consumes. If a seed does not have an embryo it is called an empty seed and will never germinate. However, a seed that has an embryo and does not germinate is not empty but is subject to external factors. Under favorable conditions, the seed begins to germinate and the embryonic tissues resume growth, developing to become a seedling.

In order to germinate and grow a seed needs the following things:
a) Water
b) Oxygen
c) Right temperature
d) Light or darkness

Once a seed is in the ground, it must get the right amount of moisture for two reasons:

a) It needs to absorb water and swell so that the seed coat can split and the embryo can break out.

b) The moisture turns the food in the seed into usable chemicals so that the embryo can partake and grow. Without the right amount of water, the seed will be dormant.

Oxygen – this is necessary for metabolism and aerobic respiration until the seed can grow leaves which it can then use to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Without oxygen the seed is dormant.

Right Temperature – the temperature affects the rate of cellular metabolism as well as the rate of growth. Seeds that have the wrong temperature remain dormant.

Light or darkness – Some seeds require light to germinate while others require total darkness to do the same.

One thing you have to understand is that a seed will not begin to grow in conditions that will not sustain it. Instead it remains dormant until such a time as all the requirements are met and can sustain its germination and growth.